A Final Gift
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: "I'll take the greatest care of you. It was love that brought you here, my sweet." When Ron tragically dies after being poisoned by Slughorn, what will he leave behind for his lost, true love? Read to find out! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: You're My Home

**Chapter 1: You're My Home**

Hermione Granger beamed down on the sickbed of Ronald Weasley, eyes full of love. She felt such relief to know he would be all right; the news of his poisoning had left her stricken. It had forced her to question the way she and her dear friend had treated each other over much of this past year. The whole feud over Lavender Brown seemed silly now, but perhaps that was all the more easy for Hermione to accept now, given that Ron had made his choice.

Ron had whispered _her_ name in his sleep, not Lavender's. Was it too much to postulate that she - Hermione Granger - was his choice? His choice for a mate, a lover?

A stirring grunt made Hermione look up from where she had been cradling Ron's hand in her own. The handsome redhead was gradually coming out of deep sleep and unconsciousness.

"Hermione...?"

Hermione smiled tenderly at him. "I'm here, love," she murmured. The phrase was cast from her lips as easy as breathing. But all the same, she wanted to clap a hand over her mouth, wanting to die of shame. She had no right to presume Ron's feelings until they discussed it openly. And open communication had never been a strong suit for either of them, especially when it came to conversing with each other.

Indeed, despite his sluggish state, Ron seemed to pick up on the phrase of endearment, from the way his deep blue eyes blinked. And then he smiled, as if in approval, and it gave Hermione courage to say what she said next.

"I'm sorry. I've missed you. And... I was so worried." She flushed pink.

She didn't need to elaborate; Ron seemed to sense what she was referring to. He nodded. "I'm sorry too. I never wanted to hurt you, Hermione. I hope you can forgive me. All the same, I was unfaithful to you, and I will never not blame myself for that."

Hermione felt her heart beating faster, and she sharply drew an intake of breath. Unfaithful? Quite a strong word, with implications of bonds far tighter than the ones they now shared, even after six years of shared childhoods. Bonds far tighter that those of classmates, playmates and friends. She shook her head. "Don't be silly. It's not like we were... married, or... seeing each other." She felt her face flush pinker still. Ron squeezed her hand, and she gazed at him.

"You don't understand. I feel such... obligation and tenderness towards you. It is difficult to express, even after the way we've been apart this year."

Hermione chuckled nervously. "Well, you've never been the best with words," she conceded.

"No, indeed," Ron laughed.

Held by a power greater than herself, Hermione felt herself bending low over Ron's bedside. "And you really do have the emotional range of a teaspoon."

Ron rumbled low his laughter. "That I do."

Their faces were quite close now. The blood was pounding in Hermione's ears, through her heart, and she felt extremely nervous. Yet she surrendered the cautious side of herself, as she dared herself to be brave. If he did not feel the same, if he did not return her love, at least she would know that she confessed it. And so, she poured almost six years of bottled-up love into a relieved kiss.

To her everlasting joy, she did not feel Ron pull away when their lips met. Indeed, he returned and deepened her kiss, a calloused palm disappearing into the curls of her hair as he pulled her face closer with a low groan. Hermione moaned pathetically into his mouth as her eyes fluttered shut in contentment. She didn't mind that her back ached from bending over him, that her lips quickly became bruised from kissing him, and from Ron kissing her back.

Moments later, Ron suddenly pulled away. "No..." he gasped. "We can't be seen like this. It would mean death!" He seemed to mean that Lavender would rage if he found them together. Not that she didn't know the truth by now.

Her lips pink and swollen and thoroughly kissed, her eyelids heavy, Hermione sighed. "If I don't kiss you, I'll die anyway!" And she threw herself on top of him and the bed, kissing him thoroughly, straddling his body. She kissed his face, his neck, his jawline, everywhere.

"Hermione?" Ron murmured.

"Yes?" she purred in between loving pecks.

"They say to love you would be a treason against my bloodline. But to not love you is treason against my heart." Ron eyes bore into her soul, and Hermione inherently knew that he meant every word. And how eloquent those words were.

"Then let us be traitors together," she hummed. The kisses grew more frantic, desperate, and soon Hermione was divesting herself of her clothing, as, draping herself over Ron, she made gentle love to him...

* * *

Days and evenings passed like this. The next several weeks were the happiest of Hermione's life. Hermione would steal away to the hospital wing whenever she was free to meet with Ron in secret. Sometimes, she and Ron sat and talked. Sometimes, they quietly made love. Hermione was somewhere between scandalized and amused when Ron began referring to her as his mistress. The title was conferred on account that Lavender had been insisting on visiting him during lunch periods. Most of the time, Ron would feign sleep while she was there, though he readily admitted that he needed to break up with her. He just didn't know how.

"Be gentle, and don't wait too long," Hermione advised him.

"And then we'll be together. You and me," Ron promised.

"You and _I_ ," Hermione corrected his grammar with a fond smile.

"I'll take you on a proper date. Court you properly," Ron assured.

Court her. Unfaithful. Treason against the heart. "Ronald Weasley, when did you become so terribly romantic?" Hermione had to admit, it was a turn-on.

"Since I realized I wanted you. You do enjoy those romance novels," he winked.

* * *

One evening, Hermione was in the Great Hall having dinner with Harry. She had left Ron but an hour ago, promising to return for a night visit before callers were dismissed from the Hospital Wing for the night. Just then, Ginny came sprinting in. Her cheeks were streaked with tears as her red hair flew behind her like a banner, and she appeared panicked.

"Hermione! It's Ron! He's... he's seizing! Something's wrong!"

Stricken, Hermione ran for the hospital wing, Harry right behind her. When they came upon Ron, there were signs that he had seized (there was residuals of foam at his mouth), and gone into shock. He seemed much weaker than he had been recently when Hermione would visit him; his release had been deemed not too far away.

Rushing to Ron's side, Hermione cradled him against her, tears pricking her eyes.

"You came back..." Ron murmured, sounding almost relieved.

Hermione trilled out a teary laugh. "Of course I came back! I couldn't let you... Oh, this is all my fault!" The last was a sentiment that had been expressed more than once - the regret that she and Ron had wasted so much time, even as they were now making up for it.

Ron's paw of a hand caressed her cheek. "Maybe it's better this way..."

"Ssssh... don't talk like that! We're together now. You'll see..."

"At least I got to see you... one last time..."

Ron's words were deeply frightening her. So to soothe away his panic as well as her own, Hermione began to sing to him. She had discovered Ron adored it when she sang:

 _"We are home... we are where we shall be forever..."_ Ron tried to speak, but could not find the voice, so Hermione simply placed a finger over his lips. _"Trust in me, for you know I won't run away... from today, this is all that I need and all that I need to say... Home should be where the heart is. I'm certain as I can be. I've found home - you're my home. Stay... with... me..."_

"Hermione... I..."

"Yes?" Hermione sobbed. But Ron was already slipping away. No... impossible! He couldn't be dying! "No... no, please! Please! Don't leave me! I love you!"

"I love you too... I always have..." These were Ron's last words to her before his head fell back and he lay still. Overcome with grief, Hermione flung herself over Ron's body and wept. All she could feel was a stunned Harry rubbing her shoulder gently, unsure what to say or do.


	2. Chapter 2: I've Been Waiting For You

**Chapter 2: I've Been Waiting For You**

Ron passed away only a few weeks after his 17th birthday. Harry and Hermione and the Weasleys held a fine funeral for him as spring drove away the last vestiges of winter.

Harry did his best to juggle his final instruction from Dumbledore against his obligation to console his surviving best friend. Unless it was demanded of him, Harry never left Hermione's side.

Which proved to be critical, as - a few weeks after Ron's death - Hermione found herself becoming sick, violently and often.

At first, it was contemplated as a stomach bug, expected to pass in due course. But it didn't. Hermione would suddenly need to leap up and run to the bathroom - most tragically in the middle of meals. When she once rushed out of a Charms lecture - her favorite subject - Harry knew something was wrong. Quietly, the Boy Who Lived followed Hermione to the girls' lavatory, and waited for her to appear, so he could dutifully escort her back to class. When Hermione at last emerged, she looked ghostly pale, and her hands were shaking.

"What is it?" Harry placed soothing hands on her shoulders.

Nervously, and a little in shock, Hermione raised her eyes to his, and Harry found tears glistening there. "I'm pregnant."

Harry sucked in a breath, his stunned gaze pondering Hermione curiously as one hand hovered over her abdomen and a watery smile appeared on her face. "He left one last gift for me."

"I'll help you," Harry promised, not having to give it any thought. "Whatever you need, you understand me?"

Hermione threw her arms around him and broke down completely.

June and the end of term finally came around. Draco Malfoy let Death Eaters into Hogwarts in a brazen surprise attack on the school. In the confusion, Dumbledore was killed and Snape vanished. So it was that the second major funeral of the school year was held.

By that sunny, summer's day down by the Black Lake, Hermione was 10 weeks along and a baby bump was noticeable. Rumors had flown through the school, and theories pointed intuitively back to Ron. Hermione did nothing to confirm nor deny these allegations. And until today, no one directly confronted her about it.

As Dumbledore's service was ending, and Harry was leading Hermione away from the grave site, a tear-stained and furious Lavender Brown accosted them both.

"You little bitch! You stole him away from me! That should be me carrying his child, not you!" The slander was so sudden that Hermione could not find her voice with which to speak. Harry bit his lip. He made a point to never involve himself in fights that weren't his. Even with Ron and Hermione's famous bickering, he had only ever inserted himself when it was strictly necessary. But this was one battle that Hermione could not fight on her own, strong as she was. He stepped between the two women.

"Lavender," he said calmly. "I know you loved Ron. You both did. But his baby - and by extension, its mother - is innocent in all of this. Don't dishonor Ron by fighting."

Lavender looked like she wanted to refute this, but no one dared to challenge the Chosen One, so giving Hermione one last, murderous glare, the blond girl fled the grave site in tears.

"She's never going to forgive me, is she?" And Hermione actually sounded sad, or at least regretful, as Harry put a gentle arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe not," Harry thought grimly. "But would her forgiveness really matter to you?" She didn't answer. Harry sighed deeply. "Maybe I should have just lied and pretended the baby was mine. At least it would have given you less trouble."

Hermione looked into his face, surprised and touched. "Harry, no! That is very sweet, but I could have never asked you to do that!"

"I know. And I didn't want to betray Ron like that."

Hermione took his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you," she murmured, rubbing her other hand over her baby bump. "You're going to be a fine godfather."

Harry smiled, remembering Hermione's heartfelt request, one night alone in the Gryffindor Common Room, that he look after her baby should anything happen to her. "I should hope so. Which is why... when I leave on my mission for Dumbledore, you and the baby are staying here."

Hermione gaped and shook her head. "Harry, we discussed this..."

"I know, but the calculus has changed. This is me protecting the only family I have left, so indulge me..."

"No," Hermione cut him off firmly. "You will not do this alone. Where you go, I go. Ron would have wanted to be there with us both if he could. I need to uphold my promise for you and for him."

Harry's shoulders sagged, defeated. Once Hermione got something in her mind, it was nearly impossible to dissuade her. And so, even though the baby's birth was still almost seven months away, and Harry had no idea whether he could defeat Voldemort by Christmas, he said, "All right."

* * *

The summer consisted of one last, miserable round with the Dursleys. Hermione wrote Harry every day, breathlessly telling him what she was feeling from the baby inside of her. As July finally faded away, Harry was spirited off to the Burrow. Harry was not pleased to see a four-month pregnant Hermione among his protectors, as the danger from Voldemort and his Death Eaters was great. But the remaining duo and their allies reached the Burrow safely.

A few days later, Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour were married. In the middle of the ceremony, Death Eaters attacked. Harry quickly grabbed Hermione and the pair fled, off on their hunt for the Horcruxes earlier than expected.

At first, shacking up in Grimmauld Place worked well enough. From there, Harry received a tip that a Horcrux might be hidden deep within the Ministry of Magic. In a display painfully reminiscent of Ron and Hermione, Harry argued with Hermione about her coming along. But she had the brains, and Harry had no choice but to agree, on the condition that they stick together.

Abducting two Ministry employees, the pair disguised themselves with Polyjuice Potion and infiltrated the Ministry. The Horcrux - Slyhterin's locket - was found around Umbridge's neck. Harry and Hermione barely escaped with their lives, forced to flee into the wilderness and not back to Grimmauld Place.

With one Horcrux but without a means to destroy it, the duo led a substituent existence in the woods, foraging for food. Harry took it upon himself to do most of the work, so as to keep Hermione off her feet. The Horcrux was safely stowed inside Hermione's beaded bag for safekeeping.

Fall rapidly chilled into winter, and Hermione's belly grew steadily rounder. Harry knew there was no way the mission would be complete by the time the baby was born, and it would not do to try and accelerate the timetable. Neither Harry nor Hermione had any idea where the next Horcrux might be, and only an educated hunch as to even what they were.

On calm nights, Harry would sometimes catch Hermione talking to her stomach.

"I'll take the greatest care of you. It was love that brought you here, my sweet... now, if only your godfather would stop listening in on our conversation and start cooking dinner." Hermione smiled at Harry, amused.

One night, Harry even caught Hermione singing to her stomach, such as now, while she caressed a loving palm over her pronounced belly:

 _"I, I have known love before. I thought it would no more take on a new direction. _Still, strange as it seems to be, it's truly new to me, that affection. I, I don't know what you do. You make me think that you will change my life forever. I, I'll always want you near. Give up on you, my dear, I will never__

 _You thrill me, you delight me. You please me, you excite me. You're all that I've been yearning for. I love you, I adore you. I lay my life before you. I only want you more and more. And finally it seems my lonely days are through. I've been waiting for you_

 _I'll carry you all the way and you will choose the day when you're prepared to greet me. I'll be a good mum, I swear. You'll see how much I care when you meet me._

 _You thrill me, you delight me. You please me, you excite me. You're all that I've been yearning for. I love you, I adore you. I lay my life before you. I only want you more and more. And finally it seems my lonely days are through. I've been waiting for you."_

* * *

It was a cold, December night, as Harry returned, exhausted, from finding the sword of Gryffindor and using it to destroy the locket. He had barely made it through the ordeal with his life, thoughts of Hermione and the baby being all that kept him going.

Just as the tent came in sight, Harry heard a wail of pain. Frightened, he dashed the rest of the way to the little abode.

He found Hermione inside, sitting in one corner, clutching her womb and looking hugely pregnant. When she raised her eyes to his, Harry could see utter fear and discomfort there, and he registered her silent plea: Help me. The baby was due any day, and as Harry looked at the fluid-stained rug, he realized that his best friend was in labor.

 _You thrill me, you delight me. You please me, you excite me. You're all that I've been yearning for..._

Harry had no idea what to do. He had never seen another woman pregnant, and certainly never a woman in labor. But thankfully, Hermione had read up on pregnancy throughout the hunt and instructed Harry on what to do as calmly as she could. Harry quickly found a basin and filled it with hot water.

 _I love you, I adore you. I lay my life before you. I only want you more and more..._

Helping Hermione to her feet, Harry watched carefully as she began to pace around the room, one hand over her stomach, and the other on the small of her back, willing herself through the contractions.

 _And finally it seems my lonely days are through..._

Moving quickly, Harry got Hermione onto the lowest bunk. It seemed that all he could do now was hold her hand, which she did in a vice-like grip, as she writhed in pain and cried out in what could only be sheer agony, her free hand clasping the headboard on which her head rested.

 _You please me, you excite me... I love you, I adore you... I only want you more and more..._

At last, with one final push, Hermione swooned, exhausted, her entire body going limp, eyes half opened. Cleaning the red, squalling thing in the basin, Harry gingerly placed her into Hermione's arms. Upon seeing her daughter, Hermione gasped in astonishment. How strange. Could someone really fall in love again so fast? And yet, here she was, a sweaty mess, gingerly taking her child in her arms. All at once, Hermione felt her body wracked with happy sobs as she nuzzled her daughter close. One word fell from her lips over and over. "Rose... Rose..."

 _I've been waiting for you... Oh, I've been waiting for you..._


	3. Chapter 3: My Love, My Life

**Chapter 3: My Love, My Life**

When Rose was scarcely a week old, Harry got it into his head that another Horcrux might be in his birthplace of Godric's Hollow. Despite still recovering from the pains of labor, Hermione volunteered to go with him, the baby in tow. In retrospect, Harry should never have agreed to such a ludicrous proposition, but his best friend was persistent.

The venture into Godric's Hollow ended in disaster. Voldemort's snake, Nagini, attacked the thrown-together family; Harry, Hermione and baby Rose barely escaped with their lives. Appearing again in the forest, a group of leering, evil men known as Snatchers appeared and captured the Trio. The leader, Scabior, seemed especially perplexed as to why a baby was in their midst, and considered doing away with her.

"You can't!" Harry said desperately. "The child's half-blood! And she needs her mother's milk! Or are you too stupid to realize that?" It was a risky move, but Scabior was insulted enough into allowing the child to live and remain with Hermione.

"Take them to Hogwarts Castle!" he ordered.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Harry watched as he and Hermione and the baby were frog-marched back onto the Hogwarts grounds. To the prisoners' horror, a pair of Death Eaters - twins by the name of Carrow - met them at the door.

"We caught Potter! We captured Harry Potter!" Scabior crowed.

Amycus Carrow seemed just as puzzled by the prisoners - and particularly Rose's presence - as Scabior had been. "Well, we have no ruddy use for a baby here. Dispose of the nasty little thing."

"NO!" Hermione shrieked, drawing Rose close to her breast and twisting away. "She needs my milk! She needs me!"

"That's right, Amycus," Harry spoke surprisingly calmly. "And besides, the child is a half-blood."

Alecto Carrow, Amycus's brother, peered at Harry. "And how do you know this? Is it yours, Potter?"

"No," Harry answered honestly. "The child's father is pure-blood."

Amycus drew near to Hermione. "And what is your name, dearie?" She sneered.

"Hermione Weasley," she lied. Harry maintained a poker face, despite his shock that Hermione would take Ron's name. But perhaps she would have someday anyway, had Ron lived and wished to marry her. Even so, Harry was fairly certain that it was Hermione's last act of fidelity towards the father of her child - a vow that she would never love again.

Amycus shrieked. "A blood traitor's spawn! Let's kill them both, brother!"

"No," Alecto warned. "Blood traitor or no, the Weasleys are still equal to us. Purebloods. No... we must keep them and Potter alive. Bring them in."

The Carrows escorted the Trio inside. "Longbottom!" Alecto barked. And Hermione and Harry watched in disbelief as a battered and bruised Neville Longbottom appeared in the entryway. He froze when he saw them.

"Harry? Hermione?"

"Take these prisoners to the dungeon and keep them under heavy guard until we may interrogate them," Alecto ordered.

As the Death Eaters passed the prisoners off to Neville, Neville's eyes locked with Harry's. Spinning fast, the former suddenly yelled, "STUPEFY!"

The Carrows were blasted back, and Neville seized Harry and Hermione. "Run! Follow me!"

The little group pelted through the halls of the castle. Finally, a familiar black door seemed to appear from nowhere, and Neville forced them all through it, slamming the door behind him.

From over Neville's shoulder, Harry gaped at what he saw. Hammocks and beds lay everywhere in this version of the Room of Requirement. And it seemed that occupying them was the whole of Dumbledore's Army - most of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Houses.

"Oi, what's up, you lot? Got a surprise for you." Neville seemed to have a commanding presence over everyone else in the room.

"Bloody hell, Neville. Not more of Aberforth's cooking," Seamus Finnegan groaned in his thick Irish brogue.

But Neville simply smirked and stood aside.

"Blimey! Harry! Hermione!" Everyone rose to their feet in applause and amazement, rushing forward to hug their friends. But it was Rose who quickly became the star attraction, with girls like Pavarti Patil, Romilda Vane, Cho Chang jostling to see her.

"When did you give birth, Hermione?"

"How old is she, Hermione?"

"Oh, can I just hold her, Hermione?"

"OI!" Ginny Weasley yelled over the fuss. "If anyone gets to hold her first, it's me! I'm the kid's bloody aunt!" And she beamed with pride at Hermione.

But then, a hush fell over the girls as the group of them parted to reveal a familiar head of blonde hair.

It was an older and wiser Lavender Brown who slowly approached Hermione and the infant. Harry instinctively felt himself reach for his wand in his back jeans pocket, and almost scolded himself for the action. Almost. Her eyes were fixed on Rose, her gaze somewhere between awe and contemplation.

"She looks just like Ron..." Lavender whispered. The silence was palpable and quite awkward.

"All right, that's it, you two. Hug it out already," Neville ordered.

"Neville, hush," Harry commanded, his eyes not leaving Lavender's. He felt, with mild amusement, the heads of everyone else swiveling between him and Neville like they were watching a Muggle tennis match.

Hermione slowly drifted forward, her brown irises only for Lavender. Except now that Lavender seemed to be struggling to even look Hermione in the eye.

"I'm sorry," the blonde girl murmured quietly. "You're really lucky. He loved you."

Slowly, Hermione smiled, and even strode forward and wrapped Lavender in a hug. "I forgive you." And then, to everyone's amazement, Hermione passed the bundle to Lavender, allowing her to be the first to hold Rose. Lavender looked down at the baby in wonder.

"And here I thought it would be a fatal disaster if you looked like your mum," she murmured quietly to the baby. "But someone up there must have loved you, spent a little more time on you - you're _gorgeous_." Lavender glanced up to see the whole of Dumbledore's Army gaping at her in disbelief. Blushing, she cleared her throat, and held Rose out. "Who wants to hold her next?"

The room quickly devolved into normalcy once again, with folks mingling and chatting or bandaging up one another's wounds. It gave Harry the opportunity to pull Neville aside.

"Nev, you've got a good thing going here," he told his friend. "Now that I've returned, I don't want to get in the way of that. And I still have some things I have to do. However, I know that people look to me, so perhaps you and I could be co-leaders?"

Neville accepted the proposal at once. "I would appreciate the help, Harry. Thank you."

The members of the Hogwarts resistance prepared for bed. Someone conjured a crib for Rose to sleep in at Hermione's bedside. Placing her inside, Hermione soflty sang her daughter a lullaby:

 _"I've never felt this strong. I'm invincible, how could this go wrong? No, here, here's where we belong. I see a road ahead I never thought I would dare to tread._

 _Like an image passing by, my love, my life. In the mirror of your eyes, my love, my life. I can see it all so clearly all I love so dearly. Images passing by like reflections of your mind, my love, my life. Are the words I try to find, my love, my life. But I know I don't possess you. With all my heart, God bless you. You will be my love and my life. You're my one and only._

 _I held you close to me, felt your heart beat, and I thought: I am free. Oh yes, and as one are we, in the now and beyond. Nothing and no one can break this bond._

 _Like an image passing by, my love, my life. In the mirror of your eyes, my love, my life. I can see it all so clearly all I love so dearly. Images passing by like reflections of your mind, my love, my life. Are the words I try to find, my love, my life. But I know I don't possess you. With all my heart, God bless you. _You will be my love and my life. You're my one and only."__

"Goodnight, all," Neville rumbled, as he blew out the light of a lantern.

That night, as Harry watched Hermione and Rose sleep, he promised to himself and to them that he would defeat Voldemort so that mother and daughter could have a future. So that these two wonderful girls could one day live in peace and safety.


	4. Chapter 4: Familial Love For All Time

**Chapter 4: Familial Love For All Time**

It quickly became apparent to Harry and Hermione that Hogwarts just wasn't Hogwarts anymore. The Carrows taught perverted versions of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies, freely torturing students with Snape, the new Headmaster, doing nothing to stop them.

Harry knew that his argument for allowing Hermione - a Muggle-born who by all rights were now banned from the school - and the baby to live would not last very long against the Carrows, so he ordered her and Rose to stay in the Room of Requirement while the others went to class. During this time, with the help of Luna Lovegood, Harry tracked down another Horcrux, the lost diadem of Ravenclaw, and took it down into the Chamber of Secrets to destroy it with basilisk fangs.

Four down. Two to go.

Keeping a low profile and his ear to the ground, Harry heard rumblings from the Carrows that something special was hidden inside Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts. When Harry had been captured, the sword of Gryffindor had been confiscated, with the Carrows confused and panicked as to why it was there... and not in Bellatrix's vault. Something else was inside that vault, Harry suspected. But he would need to leave Hogwarts - with the sword - to find out.

So, together with Neville and Luna and Ginny, Harry hatched a plan.

The quartet broke into the Headmaster's office, and stole the sword of Gryffindor back. Ginny was captured in the process, sacrificing herself so the others could get away. Neville then showed Harry a passageway out of the castle, connecting the Room of Requirement to the Hogs' Head pub in Hogsmeade. His rucksack over his shoulder, Harry said goodbye to Hermione and baby Rose.

"Stay here in the Room of Requirement, and do whatever Neville tells you. I won't be long." Harry kissed Hermione once chastely, like a brother would a sister, before hauling his rucksack over his shoulder and departing.

Disguising himself as Bellatrix Lestrange via a transfigured hair from the evil witch, Harry broke into Gringotts and retrieved the likely Horcrux - the cup of Hufflepuff, promptly stabbed it with the sword, and escaped on a dragon. He barely got back into Hogwarts with Aberforth Dumbledore's help, where he reunited with Hermione and the baby. Hermione seemed emotionally relieved at Harry's return, flinging herself and Rose into his arms ("Harry! Thank Merlin you're safe!"). It was here Harry learned that Voldemort was marching on Hogwarts and that tragically, Ginny had died at the hands of the Carrows.

Leaving Rose nestled safely with Molly Weasley, Harry and Hermione fought bravely. Discovering from Snape's memories that he was a seventh, accidental Horcrux, Harry confronted Voldemort and allowed his own death to destroy the part of Voldemort's soul inside of him.

Just when all seemed lost, Harry came back from the dead, cut off the head of Nagini - the final Horcrux - with the sword of Gryffindor, and defeated Voldemort in a climatic duel.

Following the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry accompanied Hermione to Australia to recover her parents' memories. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were overjoyed to meet their grandchild.

* * *

On the sun-tickled grass of the Hogwarts grounds, Hermione watched as a seven-month-old Rose played with Uncle Harry. Harry was taking on his role as godfather with gusto, and Hermione felt so grateful that her friend was with her, that Rose would have a father figure, to love Rose and teach her. And in the months they had spent together on the Hunt, the three had become extremely close. To the point where Hermione could not see her and Rose's lives without Harry in it.

So, as Harry approached her with a giggling Rose on his shoulders...

"Will you marry me?" The question came out impulsively, but simply. And as Hermione gazed at Harry's taken aback face, she suddenly had never felt surer about anything else in her life.

In answer, Harry kissed Hermione gently, his expression solemn but accepting.

"Yes."

* * *

The wedding was held on the banks of the Black Lake. Rose toddled along the aisle as a flower girl; Mr. Granger gave his daughter away in a strapless white gown. As the sun set along the Hogwarts grounds, as Kingsley Shacklebolt pronounced the Boy Who Lived and the Greatest Witch of Her Age husband and wife, Harry and Hermione shared a gentle kiss. Perhaps someday they could learn to love each other in a more romantic way. But right now, their union under the blanket of a familial love was enough. Being together for Rose's sake. For they would always be family, and remain together.

After all, that is what Ron would have wanted.


End file.
